Nik Perring’s little pocketbook is a gift. A pocketful of 22 flash stories, perfect little glimpses into 22 not so perfect lives. At times it feels as if we are thieves surprised by the return of the tenants we wanted to rob, and instead of stealing we just happen to witness intimate moments. Still, we sneak out richer.

Perring’s stories are accompanied by minimalist drawings that remind me of Paul Klee’s drawings of angels. A perfect match.

There is magic in Perrings realism. It’s a mundane magic. Perring sometimes opens a story with something like a girl spitting fire in “Not Nitro”, but quickly and in a few lines the peculiar talent bursts with emotional complexity, metaphoric quality, and yes, something quite ordinary, typical maybe, but presented in a new light, in fact, extraordinary. Another favorite of mine is “The Mechanical Woman,” incredibly suggestive, and funny. I recommend it to men to read aloud to their wives/girlfriends/… .

One Response to “Not so Perfect” by Nik Perring

While I observe that it’s raining on this sunday morning, I find it funny that I’m not asleep. And this is of course all your fault my friend, you just had to write a blog that would keep me up all night, reading reviews and feeling like the only sophisticated person in the slum that I live in…

But now to the constructive criticism: I’d love to see you review some graphic novels. May I suggest the more “adult” ones like Watchmen or perhaps V for Vendetta…